The image formation apparatus satisfies a user's demand to effectively use a sheet by writing an image to the marginal sheet edge, and prevents that toner is not transferred to the sheet but adhered to a transfer roller when the sheet is slightly misregistered from its accurate position, whereby back stain occurs in a next sheet. In this apparatus, an area in which the image is masked is changed by a CPU, according to an input mode of a image signal from an image signal generation unit. In a printer mode that the image signal is input from a host computer, image masking signals by which an image can be formed up to the sheet edge are given to gate circuits so as to expand the image up to the marginal sheet edge. In a mode that the image signal is input from an image reader, the image masking signals by which a margin can be provided at the sheet edge are given to the gate circuits so as to limit an image area.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image formation apparatus comprising: a recording unit adapted to provide a first mode for recording an image based on an image data input from a first input device, and a second mode for recording an image based on an image data input from a second input device; a masking unit adapted to mask the image to be recorded by said recording unit, so as to provide a sheet-edge margin; and a control unit adapted to variably control a size of a masking area of a sheet-edge margin, based at least in part on a selected mode of said recording unit.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said plural input units include at least a reading unit adapted to read an original image, and a reception unit adapted to receive the image data from a host computer.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said control unit expands an image area up to the vicinity of a sheet edge by reducing the masking area of said masking unit when the image is recorded based on the image signal from said reception unit.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a permitting unit adapted to permit said control unit to reduce the masking area when the image is recorded based on the image signal input from said reception unit, and adapted to inhibit said control unit from reducing the masking area when the image is recorded based on the image data read by said reading unit.
5. An image formation apparatus comprising: a reading unit adapted to read an original image; a reception unit adapted to receive an image signal from a host computer; a recording unit adapted to provide a first mode for recording an image based on an image data input from said reading unit, and a second mode for recording an image based on an image data input from said reception unit; a masking unit adapted to mask the image to be recorded by said recording unit, so as to provide a sheet-edge margin; and a control unit adapted to variably control a size of a masking area of a sheet-edge margin, based at least in part on a selected mode of said recording unit.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising: a masking control unit adapted to control, in order to expand an image area up to the vicinity of a sheet edge, said masking unit to reduce the masking area on the basis of reception of a command to reduce the masking area of said masking unit; and a permitting unit adapted to permit the reduction of the masking area only when the image is recorded based on image data input by said reception unit.
7. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said masking unit comprises a masking signal generation unit adapted to generate a masking signal, and a logical calculation unit adapted to perform logical calculation to the image signal and the masking signal generated by said masking signal generation unit.
8. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said recording unit comprises a semiconductor laser, a scanning unit adapted to scan a laser beam generated by said semiconductor laser, and a detection unit adapted to detect the laser beam scanned by said scanning unit.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said masking unit masks the laser beam in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning directions of the laser beam.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said masking unit controls masking in a main scanning direction on the basis of a detection signal of said detection unit.
11. An image masking control method comprising: a masking step of masking an image input from any of plural input units so as to provide a sheet-edge margin; a masking control step of variably controlling the size of a masking area of a sheet-edge margin; and a recording step of providing a first mode for recording an image based on an image data input from a first input device, and a second mode for recording an image based on an image data input from a second input device, wherein in said masking control step, the size of the masking area of the sheet-edge margin is based at least in part on a selected mode of said recording step.
12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the plural input units include at least a reading unit adapted to read an original image, and a reception unit adapted to receive the image data from a host computer.
13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein, in said masking step, when the image is recorded based on the image signal from the reception unit, an image area is expanded up to the vicinity of a sheet edge by reducing the masking area in said masking step.
14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein it is permitted to reduce the masking area when the image is recorded based on the image signal input from the reception unit, and it is inhibited to reduce the masking area when the image is recorded based on the image data read by the reading unit.
15. An image masking control method comprising: reading step of reading an original image; a reception step of receiving an image signal from a host computer; a masking step of masking the image so as to provide a sheet-edge margin; a control step adapted to variably control a size of a masking amount of a sheet-edge margin; and a recording step of providing a first mode for recording an image based on an image data input from a first input device, and a second mode for recoding an image based on an image data input from a second input device, wherein in said control step, the size of the masking area of the sheet-edge margin is a base based at least in part on a selected mode of said recording step.
16. A method according to claim 15 , further comprising a masking control step adapted to control, in order to expand an image area up to the vicinity of a sheet edge, masking control to reduce the masking amount on the basis of reception of a command to reduce the masking amount, wherein it is permitted in said masking control step to reduce the masking area only when the image is recorded based on image data input in said reception step.
17. A method according to claim 15 , wherein said masking step comprises a masking signal generation unit adapted to generate a masking signal, and a logical calculation step of performing logical calculation to the image signal and the masking signal generated in said masking signal generation step.
18. A method according to claim 15 , wherein said recording step comprises a step of scanning a laser beam generated by a semiconductor laser, and a detection step of detecting the laser beam scanned in said scanning step.
19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein said masking step masks the laser beam in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning directions of the laser beam.
20. A method according to claim 18 , wherein said masking step controls masking in a main scanning direction on the basis of a detection signal in said detection step.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 27, 2000
January 9, 2007
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